MONTHLY
MEETING

Refreshments
begin at 7:15 pm. Merchandise sales are before and after the program (cash,
checks and credit cards). The plant raffle follows the program. Please
label your raffle donations with the plant name. Your contributions to
the raffle and refreshments are always needed and greatly appreciated.

"Ants
and Native Plants" – Ian Jones, PhD candidate at Florida International
University,
will speak about ants tending Senna plants to protect them and other
interesting relationships between ants and plants.

Ian’s
work at FIU is under the guidance of Professor Suzanne Koptur. His
dissertation is on "Understanding Extrafloral Nectar Mediated Arthropod
Interactions and Their Associated Costs on Senna mexicana var. chapmannii."
He received his MSc degree in Applied Entomology from Imperial College London
in 2006. Before coming to FIU he was a Research Scientist at the London School
of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Acarologist/ Entomologist at the Medical
Entomology Centre, Cambridge.

UPCOMING
FIELD TRIPS

If
the weather is very bad, call Patty at 305-255-6404 to confirm. Field trips
are for the study of plants and enjoyment of nature by FNPS members and guests.
Collecting is not permitted. Children are welcome.

Sunday, October 6, 2013, 8:45 a.m. – noon. A
revisit: the Deering Estate at Cutler re-hydration area and ferns.

We will visit the transverse glade in the rehydration area and
surrounding rockland hammock, with attention to ferns and other vegetation
benefitting from the project. This is a special opportunity to see a part
of the Deering Estate not normally visited, with a host of knowledgeable
leaders. No entrance fee; you may bring lunch to enjoy at the Estate’s picnic
tables.

Time, address and directions are in the newsletter mailed to members. Please join to enjoy all the activities of the chapter!

Difficulty: Moderate,
1-1.5 miles, some walking off-trail in rocky, uneven substrate, particularly at
the start of the trip (you may get wet or muddy feet)

Bring/wear: Water,
sturdy walking shoes that can get wet, long pants, long sleeves, sun and insect
protection, lunch if you care to picnic after the trip (leave in your car). A
walking stick might be handy.

Lost?: Patty’s cell (305-878-5705)
the morning of the trip.

Sunday, November 17, 2013. Okaloacoochee Slough State
Forest. "OK Slough" contains largely undisturbed wetlands surrounded by
oak, hydric hammocks, and pineland. It is about a 2.5 hour drive from South
Miami, but it’s worth the effort (and we’ll start a little later). Save the
date!

Please
give us your input on field trips. Give us suggestions for destinations
or leaders, tell us your day/time preference or what would encourage you to
attend. What have been your favorite field trips? Could you or a colleague
lead a trip? Please contact Patty (305-255-6404, pphares@mindspring,com) or
send comments to the chapter mailing address.

DADE
CHAPTER and FNPS NEWS

The Dade Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society has joined
the social media scene! In addition to using our Facebook
page, you can now find and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @dcfnps or Dade Native Plants. Like us, follow us, tweet at us. Share your comments
and beautiful native plants and habitat photos. -
Kurt Birchenough

Everglades
National Park DCFNPS workday, October 19, 2013, 9am -noon. Help the chapter
enhance the entrance to a national park. This will be a maintenance workday. A
jug of cold water will be provided; bring snacks to share if you care to.
Gloves, hand tools and bug spray are available but you may prefer to use your
own. New helpers are encouraged to come! Everyone in your car gets into ENP
free after the workday. Contact Patty 305-255-6404, pphares@mindspring.com if
you have questions (305-878-5705 cell, for the morning of the workday only). No
workday if the park is closed due to a government shutdown.

Miami
Shores Green Day: Good for All. Celebrate Fall. October 26, 2013, 3 –
8p.m.Downtown Miami Shores, NE 2nd Avenue between 94th and 100th Streets. Join the Miami Shores Chamber of Commerce for this community event which will educate
and entertain. DCFNPS will be there spreading the word about native plants,
so come check us out. Numerous other organizations, companies and agencies
will feature "green" information, gifts, activities and food, plus a variety of
vendors and entertainment. See http://www.miamishores.com/greenday/.

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Ramble, Nov.
8-10, 2013. Get the inside perspective – volunteer!
Teach others about native plants at our educational display.Please
respond to Gita Ramsay (gita.ramsay@gmail.com,
786-877-7168) byOctober 15 to have a name tag
and free entry into FTBG. The schedule will be finalized at the October
22 meeting.

Volunteers are needed for:

Staffing our display Friday to Sunday, 9am-4:30 pm.

Set-up help on Thursday afternoon, 3:30-5pm.

Break-down on Sunday, 4:30-5pm.

You'll be promoting FNPS and native
plants. You don't need to be a plant expert and you can learn what is needed on
the job.

DCFNPS Gann Conservation Grant Fund. Our chapter will support the
FNPS conservation grants awarded each May. Please send your donations to the
chapter’s mailing address or participate in special fund-raisers throughout the
year.

Dade Chapter board meetings. All members are welcome to attend or to
send suggestions for items for the board to consider. Please contact president
Buck Reilly (buck@habify.com, 786- 291- 4824) for more
information. This is your chapter – support it by being involved.

Do
you have a family/household FNPS membership? If you have an active husband,
wife or other partner who is not listed on your membership, please send FNPS
the additional name and contact info (phone, email) so they can establish good
records for all members. Send to info@fnps.org or PO Box 278,
Melbourne FL 32902-0278, or call 321-271-6702.

FNPS
2014 Endowment Grant Research Awards and Conservation Grant Awards. The Endowment
Research Grant program funds research on native plants which forwards the
mission of the FNPS. Conservation Grants support applied native plant
conservation projects in Florida to promote the preservation, conservation, or
restoration of rare or imperiled native plant taxa and rare or imperiled native
plant communities. Applications and details are at www.fnps.org >
Participate/Grants and Awards. Questions should be sent to info@fnps.org. Application
deadline is March 7, 2014.

Call
for Research Track Papers and Poster Presentations - Florida
Native Plant Society 2014 Conference (Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort
Myers, Florida, May 15-18, 2014). Presented papers will be on May 16 and 17 and
the poster session on May 17. Abstracts should be submitted by February 1,
2014. See www.fnps.org for details.

CONSERVATION ACTION NEEDED

Help
Protect Conservation Lands –Your participation in the Surplus Land Assessment is
still needed.

FL DEP is taking public comment to identify state-owned conservation lands that
could be sold back into private ownership. Although some lands initially
identified have been dropped from the list as a result of public opposition,
nearly 3,200 acres remain listed as potential surplus lands. Although many of
the parcels they have identified are appropriate to surplus, others are not. FNPS
members should comment in favor of retaining public ownership of the parcels
that have conservation value and contribute to the protection of native plants
and native plant communities. There are numerous parcels in the Keys that need
your evaluation.

AIR
POTATO BEETLES CREATE A BUZZ

The
September Tillandsia article about release of a biocontrol for the
invasive air potato vine generated interest in releases on public and private
properties. DCFNPS member Karen Picciano has already arranged for a release at
Kenwood Elementary School’s large native planting, "Kenwoods."

You
can make a request now to be added to the list for next spring’s releases on
private properties. Current releases are in public properties and some other
areas for research purpose. Contact Dr. Min B. Rayamajhi, Research Plant
Pathologist at the USDA-ARS, Invasive Plant Research Lab, in Fort Lauderdale
(954-475-6552, Min.Rayamajhi@ars.usda. gov).

OTHER
NEWS AND EVENTS

Dade
Native Plant Workshop. MDC Kendall Campus Landscape Technology Center. 3rd Tuesdays at 7 p.m. See http://nativeplantworkshop.ning.com or contact
Steve at steve@pronative.com. Bring at
least three plants (especially flowering/fruiting), even if they do not pertain
to the topic. Beginners and old hands are all encouraged to come. Free. Join
on the website (free) to receive an email reminder and to post plant photos for identification or discussion.

October 15, 2013, topic: Whatever you think is spooky, the plant name, the
plant appearance, attributes or "behavior" or human uses of the
plant.

Florida
International University’s Insect Conservation Club promotes
habitat restoration for insects and has field trips and outreach programs. The
public is invited to join in upcoming activities.

October 30-31, 2013, 11a.m. – 3 p.m. Butterfly plant sale at the FIU
library breezeway. The sale will focus on insect attracting plants at low
prices, and there will be raffles for some very unique plants. Campus address:
11200 SW 8 Street, Miami. See https://library.fiu.edu/about-us/campuses/maps/mmc

Sat.-Sun.,
Oct. 26-27: Native plant sale. (9a.m.-5p.m. Sat., 9a.m.-3p.m.
Sunday). A great selection of plants with knowledgeable sales people. Come
early for the best selection. Come on Sunday for supper at the "Food Truck
Migration."

Miami
Blue Chapter, North American Butterfly Association. Quarterly Meeting,November 3,
1-3 p.m. John Pennekamp State Park, MM 102.5 Overseas Highway in Key
Largo. Robert McClure McElderry will speak on the very rare Florida
Leafwing, as well as the more common leafwings in Texas. A butterfly walk
will follow the program. The Florida Leafwing’s larval food is the native Pineland
croton (Croton linearis), a shrub in the understory of pine rocklands.
It is believed that Everglades National Park is now the only place where the
Florida Leafwing is found. Pennekamp park entrance fee applies to non-NABA
members. More
details at www.miamiblue.org or email Lmemia@aol.com.

ONLINE
READING

Connect
to Protect Network (CTPN). Have a look at http://www.fairchildgarden.org/centerfortropicalplantconservation/connecttoprotect/, especially if
you are interested in pine rockland. Read about plants, pollination, planting
a pineland and how your garden can become part of CTPN and be a "pine rockland
stepping stone garden" that helps link pineland preserves. Click on
"Newsletter archives" for articles in the newsletter Connections:

September 2013: Read about the novel discoveries of Poison Ivy sawfly feeding
on poisonwood and winged sumac, and "How Well Do You Know Your Native Ferns?"

September 2011: "How to Spot Pollinators."

Browse
the archive for more.

Native fern
identification. The CTPC newsletter fern article above provides a link to "Natural Area
Weeds: Distinguishing Native and Non-Native ‘Boston Ferns’ and ‘Sword Ferns’
(Nephrolepis spp.)" by K. A. Langeland (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag120), a good
reference for South Florida. Click on the photos to enlarge to read the text.

Permaculture Part I (April-May 2013) defined permaculture and
discussed some of its goals and elements. Part II (June-July 2013) discusses
how permaculture can help with the design of native landscapes. Part III
(August-September 21) addresses the incorporation of food plants. http://pinellas.fnpschapters.org/index.php?id=newsletters

PINELAND
SNOWBERRYA
well-behaved groundcover

By Patty Phares

Quite
a few years ago, I planted Pineland snowberry, Chiococca parvifolia, to
use as a pineland understory plant. It became much larger than I expected,
forming mounds over 2 feet tall and growing much taller where it climbed among
the branches of other shrubs and trees. It grew quickly and spread
aggressively to other areas - not what I wanted. Out it came.

Later,
I learned that this species has two different forms in South Florida. The one
I planted was likely the vinelike shrub found in coastal hammocks in the Keys.
The one I wanted was a more petite woody groundcover found in pine rocklands.

When
plants grown from a South Dade pineland seed source were available, I tried
again. Two or three pots were planted in a rocky area on a small slope at the
edge of the yard. The location is in semi-shade until mid-afternoon, when it
is in full sun. Over several years the plants have gradually spread to fill in
a dense, wide patch about 6 by 3 feet and generally under 1 foot tall. There
is some stem layering (branches rooting along the ground), but it has not
spread by seed to distant areas. White, bell-shaped blossoms are plentiful
along the stems in late summer, followed by clusters of white berries. The
only maintenance is an occasional pulling of a wayward stem layer or a minor
trim at the edge of the sidewalk.

Photo by Gene Scott

Chiococca means
"snowberry" and parvifolia means "small-leaved." Some consider C.
parvifolia to be a form of the much larger species, C. alba. Read
more about snowberries in books and online at The Institute for Regional
Conservation’s "Natives for Your Neighborhood" (www.regionalconservational.org).

Even
if you aren’t creating a pineland in your yard, you might want to try this
little snowberry for an attractive, durable, low-maintenance border or
groundcover

Photo
by Lauren McFarland

Please
submit your landscape photos or observations to the editor for potential use in Tillandsia. Share your ideas, gardening tips and techniques, what you
have learned.